


A God Among Ants

by jinxdamon, PrinxeDylan



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dorks in Love, Dragons, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-14
Updated: 2016-02-05
Packaged: 2018-05-06 14:43:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5420978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jinxdamon/pseuds/jinxdamon, https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrinxeDylan/pseuds/PrinxeDylan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dragons. Incredibly strong creatures with powerful magic and enormous size. In the kingdom of Seirin, five are left, each powerful in their own right. However, there was a strange rumour concerning an ancient, sixth dragon. Despite going unseen and unheard for ten of thousands of years, this dragon remains the most renowned dragon across the world. A phantom in time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Capitol City

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first chapter of a fic that I hope will get pretty long. It'll update every sunday

Dragons. Incredibly strong creatures with powerful magic and enormous size. In the kingdom of Seirin, five are left, each powerful in their own right. However, there was a strange rumour concerning an ancient, sixth dragon. Despite going unseen and unheard for ten of thousands of years, this dragon remains the most renowned dragon across the world. A phantom in time.

The heat, which was muggy and stifling, seeped down past Taiga’s leather vest and into his cotton shirt. His baggage weighed heavily on his back and sweat traveled down the side of his brow from his dark, cherry red hair, which was slick and firmly stuck to his forehead. His clothes were growing damp and sticking to his tanned skin and he pulled at his cotton collar in an attempt for some relief. His legs dragged along the narrow dirt path he was taking, small puddles of water and mud from the near nightly rains keeping him alert and the green walls of bushes and grass that surrounded him doing nothing to shade him from the sun on his way to the capitol of Seirin.

Soon he came to the crest of a hill and smiled when he saw the outskirts of a large city. The sight filled him with jubilation and a wave of energy swept through his body, carrying him down the other side of the hill at a dead run. A few people whom lived on the hill turned their heads as the large man bolted past and up to the city gates. They were tall and made of solid stone. Emblems were carved at the top of the pillars around the doors, which were enormous and made of wood, but reinforced with steel. “Seirin’s Capitol...” he panted, smirking to himself. “Finally!”

Taiga paused to catch his breathe as he made it up to the entrance before he approached one of the guards, who jogged to meet him a bit from the gate. “What brings you to our city?” the guard demanded monotonously, as if his words were rehearsed. His gaze was blank and disinterested and his posture was relaxed, not intimidated by the red head's size.

“I’ve come to become a knight!” he declared boldly. The air was silent for all of five seconds before laughter erupted amongst the guards. Some of them merely chuckled while others went so far as to clutch at their sides or lean over their horses. “Son, good luck with that,” the guard next to him chuckled and waved to open the gate for him.

Taiga frowned. “Why is that so funny?”

“Well,” the guard started. “Not many people become knights, and even fewer survive long enough to retire,” he told him, “But I guess they’re always looking for more.”

Taiga's face was blank with surprise before his smirk returned full force and his split eyebrows drew together in determination. He stepped forward to enter the city and felt their eyes follow him as he went. “I’m not just anyone, you know,” he called back to them, “I’m going to become the greatest knight this kingdom has ever known.” His voice was laced with confidence and when he turned around to shoot  
the guard a piercing look, there was a maniacal grin stretched across his face. “Just you wait.”

The gate shut on that note and Taiga’s shoulders bounced with laughter as he thought about the guards wide, stunned eyes. The entrance led to a busy street and a cacophony of sounds. Civilians herded together chaotically, jumping from one place to another and bumping into each other, though they didn’t seem too bothered by it as they stopped and greeted people cheerfully. Carts and tents lined up on either side of the street and vendors shouted pitches at passing pedestrians in attempts to sell their wares. Children weaved between the legs of the bustling adults, heedless to the ongoing events of the market, all the while cheering and laughing merrily as they played their games. Some chanced to run around the tall stranger's legs, which startled him slightly but was otherwise harmless. It was loud and bright, and while Taiga was used to the hustle and bustle, it had been a while since he’d been in a city as large as this.

As he pushed through the crowd, voices became more distinct before sinking back into the din and he was only able to catch bits and pieces of conversation as he went. “The Shadow,” one started in a hushed tone close to his right, “So large it picks trees out from between its toes.”

The statement seemed so out of place at the market that it gave Taiga pause and he strained to listen further, intrigued.

“I heard,” He couldn’t hear all of it, “-ocks out the sun”

“Levels forests-“

“… since the beginning… first dragon… Old as time…”

Many other fragmented words flitted around, but none were more interesting to him than those. He knew what they were talking about, of course. Similar rumors were common in other places, even in the kingdom he had grown up in, though they were always slightly different each time he heard them. They were the rumors of a dragon, about which the only thing agreed upon by all is its size and age, both being larger than anything in the world. It was believed to be the dragon, the first of it's kind and most powerful. The thought of something so devastatingly large caused Taiga to shudder with an emotion he couldn't place and so he disregarded it. 

It was getting later in the evening before Taiga broke through the bustle of the market, determined to see his journey through to the end that day. The castle was at the center of the city, tall and imposing and the man grinned broadly. He was confident he could become a knight that day, right then and there, just by demonstrating his swordsmanship to the king. He imagined the king being dazzled by his prowess, telling him to take a knee in order to be knighted, the cheers of the other knights welcoming him into their circle. It would happen just like that and it would be amazing.

After another hour of brisk walking, he reached the front entrance to the castle. It was dusk by then and the four guards stationed there looked dead on their feet, ready to be switched out for the day. He stopped and eyed them, not one of them taking much interest besides a quick sweep of the eyes and he had to wonder what was wrong with the guards in this kingdom. “I’m Taiga Kagami!” He shouted, startling a fair few of them with the sudden loudness of it. “I’m here to become a knight of the Royal Guard of the Seirin Kingdom!” he finished, staring them down, daring them to challenge him on his decision.

All but one of them laughed.

“You’ve got to be out of your mind,” said one of them in what was meant to be good humor.

“You’ll be roasted alive before you can say 'whoops'!” called another, causing Taiga to perk up.

“What? Roasted alive? By what? What do you mean?” He questioned rapidly, put off by their laughing. One of them, taking his confusion as arrogance, walked over and slapped him on the back, chuckling as he did. “You're a cocky brat, neh? That overconfidence will get you killed in a fight with a dragon. You'd never be able to kill one at this rate.”

“Dragons? Since when does killing a dragon have anything to do with becoming a knight?” Taiga exclaimed, crossing his arms.

The question caught them off guard and they stopped laughing. “Oh, you’re not from around here, are you?” the first one asked, “Killing dragons is how we do things around here. Nuisances, they are. They'll kill anyone without a second thought!!”

Taiga suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable, but he was nothing if not obstinate. This was only a bump in the road towards his ultimate goal. “Whatever! I’ll do anything if it means becoming a knight- I’d like to see any creature that could take me on with my sword!” he told them, pulling his short sword from its place on his back with vigor.

They laughed and brushed him off, “Go home kid, it takes more than being skilled with a sword to kill a dragon. That is, if you can even find one!”

While the three guards laughed amongst themselves, the quiet one by himself and off to the side was busy waving him over silently. He was wearing spectacles and looked friendly enough, though Taiga sensed he was far more dangerous than he appeared. Not enough to mean anything to him though. Nonetheless, he carefully approached the other man and looked at him with cautious eyes. The guard sighed, “If you want to stand a chance at killing a dragon, you'll need to learn the basics. I know someone you should go to. Look for Riko Aida. Riko’s father was Kagetora Aida, I'm assuming you know of him?” Kagami could only nod in stunned silence. “He passed on everything he knew about dragons and knighthood to Riko. You can find them at the jousting grounds tomorrow morning- and tell them Junpei Hyūga sent you. Riko may just go easy on you if you do.”

Taiga listened to him intently and nodded, “Well, if that’s what I have to do. Thanks. I’ll do that first thing tomorrow.” The guard, Junpei, nodded firmly before retaking his place at the door with the others, who had calmed down and proceeded to ignore him. The redhead waved goodbye and went to find lodgings for the night. He came to an inn with a bar that was noisy, as it was night and about the time that the day guards were being relieved of their duties. The bartender was also the Innkeeper and was a friendly guy who was a little round in the face and belly and jovial with a knack for gossip and information gathering. He offered to tell a story or two once they were done with the business of getting a room but the knight hopeful merely chuckled and asked where he could find the jousting grounds.

As it turns out, it was just behind the castle, but open to the public. With that, he bid goodnight to the innkeeper and went up to his room, escaping the noise of the bar on the first floor and attempted to wash himself before he got into bed. It had been a long day of traveling and he needed some sleep before he went and tried to wake up at dawn. The light tapping of raindrops against the window is what lured him to sleep.

The next day, Taiga woke up a bit disoriented and late, which caused him to rush in getting ready. He practically sprinted to the jousting stadium, being mindful of the puddles from last night’s rain, ready to find the son of the most successful knight in the last century. He was anxious for a challenge, for training, so that he could be on his way. He walked onto the grounds, which were flat from horse’s hooves, and the remaining dust that wasn’t packed down with water kicked up around him from the gentle early day winds. He scanned the area, looking for any signs of someone else being there. The stadium was empty. “Riko? Riko Aida?”

No answer. He grumbled and walked further out, closer to the wooden posts dotting the center of the arena in a straight line. He spotted a shed off to the side of the entrance he had walked in through, the door to it slightly ajar. Taiga walked forward and poked his head through cautiously. “Hello?”

Still no answer. However, upon stepping into the small shack, he saw a woman asleep, hunched over a desk on which a burnt out candle had spilled wax all over. Impatient, Taiga walked over and dropped his hand roughly on the wood. “Hey!!” he shouted and she jumped up, but stumbled backward over her chair and landed with a painful ‘thud’ on the floor. Taiga jumped in surprise and stepped away, “Hey, sorry. Are you okay?”

The woman groaned and rubbed her side. “Augh! What do you want?!” she snapped, short brown hair stuck up wildly and eyes narrowed dangerously as she continued to rub at her sore spots. She stood on sleep-shaky legs and stared at him in vexation.

“Uh, I’m looking for someone named Riko Aida?” Taiga told her, doing his best to ignore the looks she was sending his way. “Could you direct me to him?”

She huffed and crossed her arms, brown eyes sweeping over him in her first good look, “You scared her out of her chair, what do you want?”

He looked at her, momentarily surprised that Riko was a woman, and a small one too, but then he remembered that this is the child of a powerful veteran knight and he should be respectful at least. “My apologies. I’m going to become a knight and I heard that I should come to you,” he told her, “I heard that I have to kill a dragon.”

She groaned, “Not another one… Look, I don’t take on students anymore, so forg-“

“-Junpei Hyūga sent me, he told me to tell you that... ma'am.” Taiga interrupted. He added the last bit almost as an afterthought, remembering now some of the manners he was taught as a child.

Riko looked at him sharply before smirking, “Oh, is that the case? Fine. But first, you must remove your shirt.”

Taiga gave her a look, but did as he was told, having no shame about his body as he pulled off his leather vest and cotton shirt. Well built muscle rippled with his movements and Riko’s eyes widened as they darted around, taking everything in. She circled him like a vulture would a slab of meat, critical mind assessing his potential. Numbers flashed in her eyes as she visually calculated his capabilities. She hummed before coming to a stop in front of him once more, taking in one last look before speaking. “You’re impressive for your age, I’ll give you that. But if you think that muscles are all you need then you’re sorely mistaken. It takes endurance, intelligence, and GUTS!!”

Riko pick up her chair, which had lain neglected where it was and set it up again by her desk before she sat down and crossed her arms once more. “If you really want me to teach you, you’ll have to prove yourself. You need to complete three tasks. If you can do that, then I’ll teach you all that I can.” Riko explained.

Taiga put his shirt and vest back on and looked her dead in the eye for a moment before nodding. “I’m ready for anything you need me to do.”

She smirked, eye gleaming and wicked and nodded back. “In that case…”

Riko stood and pointed at him with passion in her every movement, “You must help the farmer!”


	2. Getting the Ball Rolling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riko's first challenge is a heavy one, helping the farmer is no RPG level 1 task.

“This is stupid,” grumbled Taiga in irritation, thinking aloud to himself. “How is helping some farmer going to do anything for me? What does this have to do with dragon hunting?”

The summer heat once again sunk into his clothes, just as muggy and exhausting as the day he arrived in this city and the would-be knight was making his way to the farm he was supposed to be helping. Houses and storefronts broke away and scattered and the main portion of the city shrunk away as he passed through the gates into the rural areas. Fields spread out ahead and tapered off into the treeline in the near distance. The farm was apparently right near that treeline to the west, a good fifteen minutes walk from the gates. The road was marked by the dips of cart wheels and hooves and farmhands could be seen in the surrounding fields, working even as the sun burned hotter at their backs. After a while he came to the farm he was looking for. It was marked by a modest, weather-worn house, the door crooked in its frame and the simple wooden shutters barely holding together. Taiga scaled the creaky old steps and came to a halt on the stone porch, taking a moment to sigh before moving another step forward and knocking firmly on the door.

Some slow shuffles could be heard from within and a low, croaking grumble drifted out from the cracks in the door. When the door was finally opened, it was an old man that stepped out to greet him. He was short with a scraggly, white beard that covered most of the bottom of his face and a wide brimmed sun hat that covered a good portion of the top. His eyes were shaded from view but the redhead could see the many wrinkles and sun damage on what little he could see. The wrinkles seemed to droop and point down, implying a life of furrowed brows and frowns. “Can I help you?” his rough voice snapped.

Taiga shook his head, caught a little off guard by the snappish attitude, “I was sent here to help you by Riko Aida.” He wore a plain cotton shirt and thick pants that he had tucked into a pair of boots, suggesting that he was ready to be trudging around the muddy fields, still wet from the nightly rains. 

The old farmer gave him a sweeping look before bursting into raspy laughter and slapped his knee as if it was the funniest thing he had heard in a long time. “Oh, Riko huh? I see. I’ve got just the job for you then,” he said, smiling widely and showing his crooked teeth. Laughter still bubbled up in his chest as he pushed passed Taiga, who followed his hunched figure apprehensively. They circled the house to a crop field that was muddy and sloped towards the back near to the forest. “There’s a rock here I need moving. It slid right down there in the middle of my growing crops and I can’t plant more until it’s gone,” he explained waving a hand in the general direction of the problem. 

Taiga looked over the man’s property in search of the rock and nearly groaned when he saw it nestled at the end of the slope. It was a boulder as tall and three times as wide as Taiga which had sunk into the soil due to the weight of it. Was he really supposed to move that by himself? They trudged through the mud, feet sinking deeper with each step closer to the center of the field. A deep trail started at the top of the slope and marked the stone’s journey to the bottom. The old farmer patted the rock like an old buddy he’d rather do without. “Whatever it takes, you get this bastard out of my field and away from my crops,” he grumbled. 

Taiga felt that it was going to be a long day. 

His first tactic was to push the boulder out of it’s place and he did this for several hours from several different angles but in the end it was useless. He only managed to push himself deeper into the mud and exhaust himself. When night fell and every muscle in his young body ached in pain, he finally decided that this was going to get him nowhere. He bid the old man goodnight, to which the farmer simply scoffed and turned away to go back inside his home, and Taiga might have said something rude if he wasn’t too tired to muster up the extra energy. 

The walk back to Riko’s shack was calm and cool and the scent of rain was heavy in the air, which made Taiga a little apprehensive because he would rather it not rain again. This time her door was shut tightly but there was the soft glow of a lit candle seeping out around the edges and when Taiga knocked softly, there was almost an immediate answer. She looked tired and Taiga could only assume it was because of her job caring for the arena. The day's frustrations all came pouring out at once as he explained the situation. “The farmer told me to move a boulder! A huge one! There’s no way I could’ve finished that in a day!” Taiga told her, voice strained, “What is this trial supposed to prove if it’s impossible?!”

Riko only smirked at him, arms crossed and leaning against the door frame. The candlelight behind her painted an eerie picture. “You’re not going to get anywhere with that attitude. “She said smugly. “Besides, I never said it had to be done in one day. You go ahead and take as much time as you need.” She finished.

Taiga grit his teeth and, realizing there would be no arguing about it, nodded his head in resignation. “Fine, but it better be worth it… ma’am.” With that he turned and threw her a goodnight over his shoulder as he went to bathe and get rid of the mud that had accumulated pretty much everywhere over the day. The warm water also helped to sooth his aching muscles and ease his mind of its anxieties. He was Taiga Kagami and he would move that damn boulder because if he couldn’t figure that much out, then what kind of knight would he be anyway?

This went on for two days after that. The old farmer’s wife made an appearance on the second day, mocking her husband for needing help, and mocking Taiga for his wasted effort, nevermind that he was handsome and strong and young. Nonetheless, because he was trying to help and he was handsome, she provided him with meals and kept him hydrated and Taiga accepted the sustenance graciously, relieved for the breaks in his new, frustrating routine. The mud was fresh every morning but his muscles weren’t and the remaining aches from the days previous came back just as strong as the first day but quicker and with more of a bite. Still, the boulder never budged and the nightly rain never let up and by the time the third night rolled around, he was beginning to loose a bit of his resolve. However, an idea planted itself in his mind and sprouted into a plan that stitched together his resolve and filled him with energy once more. 

He had been preparing to call it a night when the idea struck and he sloshed through the mud back to the house where the farmer waited inside. Taiga asked him for a long, thick chain and the farmer was surprised but showed him anyway. Once he had picked the one he thought would do the trick, he dragged his exhausted body back and wrapped it around the boulder, hooking the chain in place. 

“I’m not going back to the Inn without moving this boulder tonight!” he growled to himself and ran up to a very large, very old tree at the edge of the field opposite the slope and pulled the chain around one side of it so he had some leverage and was out of the mud. He gave a vicious pull and the pressure on the chain gave way after a few heartbeats of nothing. Now filled with exhilaration over the progress he’d made with that one tug, Taiga couldn’t help but exclaim in triumph and pull again. Adrenalin encouraged him and he moved forward with all his might.

His muscles rippled under his skin, straining with the weight of the stone obstacle and sweat seemed to pour from every part of his body, soaking his clothes and stinging his eyes, but he kept going, determined despite the screaming pain. This was the night he’d finish this. 

The early morning found Taiga laid out beside the tree, panting and exhausted. Birds chirped and the faint sound of wind whistled past his ears as the sun washed over his face. He could no longer move, but something in him said he didn’t have to. With a groan and a wince, he opened his eyes and took in as much of his progress as he could from his position on the ground but he stopped short at the sight that greeted him. The giant hunk of stone that had become the bane of his existence was only a short distance from him, at the edge of the field and well away from the crops. Even he didn’t think he was capable of dragging a boulder multiple times his size across two and half acres of mud. With a smirk and a short laugh, Taiga lost consciousness against the tree he had used to help him pull the boulder. 

Soon the farmer and his wife ventured out and were startled to find the redhead still there, passed out as he was and even more startled by the sight of the boulder that was stopping them from planting their crops only a short walk away from him. They made sure he was still alive and shook him awake, offering him congratulations and feeding him food before insisting he let them take him back to the city via cart. He was confident he could make it on his own so he said his goodbyes and walked away, ready to find Riko and find out what else she had in store for him.

Despite his words, he was barely able to hold himself up the whole way back and he sighed heavily at the sight of Riko, who was waiting patiently at the gates for his return. “You finish?” she asked when he was finally within earshot, a wide grin stretching across her face. 

Taiga gave her an airy chuckle, “Ah, it was nothing once I got the hang of it.” He had pushed himself far too hard, but his muscles and endurance had improved exponentially as a result. 

“I see, then you should have no trouble with my next task,” she told him, “You’ll have to navigate a maze.”


	3. The Labyrinth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anther day, another task. This maze is full of more than just pretty gardens and fountains. Taiga will have to be careful.

Taiga let out a loud groan as he laid across his bed, sore muscles protesting against the rickety movement of the bed frame and thinness of the mattress but there was nothing he could do about that. It was better than nothing at all and he exhaled, resigned to be at peace with it. His hair, still damp from a bath, fanned out across the pillow and dripped water into the cloth that he was nuzzling into. A decently kept quilt was bunched up near his feet and he mustered the energy to pull it up over himself and gather it around his face, it’s dull colors and warmth easing his thoughts.

It had been two days since he’d moved the boulder from that field; two days of recovery and infuriatingly vague responses from Riko about the next challenge. All he knew was that it was a maze of some sort located not all that far from the rural area, and that it was probably going to be harder than he initially thought, which seemed to be the theme to these things. He had wanted to start in on it right away but the slight woman had scoffed in his face and refused to allow it until he was fully capable again. Insulted, he had gone to raise his voice in irritation but had hissed instead, as she had slapped his sore back so hard he’d lost his breath. She’d then threatened to drop his case if he didn’t drop the issue.

Needless to say that he didn’t argue much after that. He did manage to convince her to allow it after two days rest.

The worst part was the waiting. The lack of knowledge about what was ahead left room for him to think freely on his own and while the new task just sounded really boring in general, a giddy excitement welled up in his gut as it usually did when he was presented with a challenge. The first task had blown away his expectations, after all, so what was to say that this one wouldn’t as well. He thought about it far into the night, all too eager to try his hand again in the morning. He fell asleep with a quiet laugh and a small grin.

When morning finally arrived, orange light filtered into his room through the curtains and songbirds chirped merrily in the trees, chasing his dreams away and pulling him into wakefulness. He stretched and grumbled and groaned as his muscles tensed before the tension released in one, whooshing breathe. A slight ache was still apparent in his back and biceps but he was fairly well rested. Besides, whether he was ready or not, this would be the day he started the next task. 

The path to the maze was as unexciting as he figured it would be. It was less taken by carts than the roads in the rural area and overgrown with weeds and grass, but it seemed well trodden by feet and he wondered what sort of people came out this way. Sharp stones littered the dirt, washed in by the rain and solidified in the mud, which would have jabbed harshly into his feet had he not been wearing some pretty thick boots. Dust picked up in the wind and rustled through his hair and he grimaced with annoyance. Several paces ahead he caught sight of Riko, who was standing near to the entrance of what he presumed was the maze. To her right was the familiar figure of Junpei Hyuuga, arms crossed and face wrench up into a light scowl. It looked comfortable there so Taiga guessed that was the usual with him. They were standing close and talking in hushed tones but he was too far away to hear any of it.

When they noticed his arrival, Junpei straighten out that much more, relaxing his face and letting his arms fall stiffly to his side. Riko rolled her eyes and stepped away from the guard, drawing Taiga’s attention to the pack slung loosely over he shoulder. It wasn’t overly large but it wasn’t small either and when she hefted it onto the ground in front of the redhead, it impacted with a satisfying whump. She smirked and settled her hands on her hips as she began to explain the details of the task.

The maze in front of him was the largest man-made labyrinth in the world, stretching out in several directions for a few miles and up high enough that climbing would be too much of a hassle. There were only two ways in and out, the entrance and the exit and it was pretty common for it to take several weeks to make it through to the other side because it was confusing and easy to lose track of places you’d been. It was a popular tourist attraction and the royal guard doubled as a retrieval team for those who couldn’t make it on their own. He’d have three days from the moment he entered to make it. In the pack was a collection of rations and gear meant to last him the three days and only those three days.

Taiga took a deep breath and listened to Riko as she briefed him on things to be wary of in the maze, Junpei occasionally throwing in his own knowledge. Apparently there were lots of creatures that liked to roam the maze aside from humans. There probably weren’t any dragons or anything particularly dangerous, but pixies, brownies, gnomes, and the like were mischievous and likely to steal from unsuspecting tourists and would-be knights. In a situation like that with limited supplies, loosing something like one’s compass could be detrimental. 

“One more thing.” Riko started when she was done telling him what was waiting inside. “Take a couple of these.” she handed him a handful of some weird thing he had never seen before. It looked like plain brown paper wrapped into a cone shape, a string attached to the point and the larger end covered by a thinner material he didn’t recognize. “This is a magic flair. Just point it at the sky and pull the string if you need help and the retrieval units that are always outside this place will be in to get you.” Riko explained, Junpei nodding along behind. “I’m warning you though that pulling that string is the end. If you need rescued, you fail the challenge. If you leave anywhere other than the back exit, you fail. If you come out any later than three days, you fail. Understood?”

Taiga looked up at the monstrous hedges. They were dark and the magic that saturated the air was almost overwhelming his senses. Determination clouded his vision and he nodded. “I’m ready.” 

Riko drew back and nodded in turn. “Good.” With that, the woman stood off to the side and waved him toward the entrance. “Get ready. On my whistle.” Taiga crouched, ready to spring forward into the unknown. The small brunette placed her two pinkies at either corner of her mouth and whistled so loudly that Junpei had to cover his ears. Taiga bolted into the maze. When they were alone, Junpei rubbed at his ears and grumbled sourly at Riko, who only smirked. “Don't be such a baby, Captain.”

“You know I’m not a captain anymore, Riko.”

“Yes well…” She sighed and pat him on the arm, starring almost fondly into the maze, as if seeing something else. “You’ll always be a captain to me.”

They fell into a comfortable silence.

In the maze, Taiga was already feeling like a lost child in a constantly shifting sea. The hedges never actually changed position or anything like that but each new turn looked like the last and the towering height of them made him feel shrunken and contained. Even so, he held his head high and tried to keep his bearings, occasionally consulting a compass to make sure he was still headed toward the northern end of the maze. Those three days seemed like an unbearably tight leash now, pulling him into a higher sense of concentration and caution. 

It was when he came to a fork in the path, warning signs on either branching side, that he decided his first day was at an end and he decided to set up camp. He read neither of the warning signs besides to give them a quick skim, too tired to concentrate much of his remaining brain power towards anything except setting up his tent and taking shelter. Rain was always a concern during summer in Seirin and he had enough sense to set up on a slab of stone, away from any place that would get muddy, before he turned in, leaving the flap to his tent open because it was a little warm. He stripped to his undergarments, chained ring jingling softly as it hit his chest after he removed his shirt, before slipping under his light blanket and going to sleep. 

Later, through a fog of drowsiness, he heard something skittering about and the faint echo of a small voice, almost like a whisper. His body felt heavy as he pushed towards wakefulness, trying to organize his thoughts through a haze of sleep. His muscles were relaxed, soothed of yesterday’s soreness and he felt warm, nearly like he was floating. It was a nice feeling and he almost fell back to dreaming before alarm bells rang in the back of his mind, telling him that something was wrong; that his guard was down. He forced his eyes open a crack and there, scampering across his vision, was a small creature a bit like a human with delicate, translucent wings, almost like a dragonfly’s. It glowed a soft, grassy green. 

“Fuck!” He yelled, leaping away. The spell he was under snapped under the weight of his attention but its effects were there in his sluggish movements as he tried to grab at it, whatever it was. The thing, which his mind finally sorted out as a pixie, zipped out of the open flap and Taiga attempted to follow, bumbling and flailing, legs tangled in his blankets in his haste. He tripped out the opening into the night and thanked whoever was listening that it wasn’t raining for once. His head turned frantically, wide eyes taking everything in, making sure nothing was stolen. When he found everything in its place, he sighed in relief, hand pressed against his chest.

Only for his breath to catch in horror as his heart sank into his stomach when his hand didn’t come into contact with that familiar, silver ring. A new kind of frantic shocked his body into action and he whipped around, trying to spot that green glow. There was hardly any light down either of the two paths but that made it easy to spot the tiny thing as it struggled to fly with the weight of both the ring and it’s chain, it’s glow reflected in the metal. Taiga sprinted forward with a growl, long legs closing the distance second by second. The little creature heard the redhead coming and squeaked in panic, thin wings working overtime to move faster and get away. 

The pixie rounded a corner and though the weight of the ring caused it to almost crash into one of the hedges, it continued on with the treasure and Taiga rounded the corner at a skid, losing a bit of momentum before charging forward again, eyes alight with fire. The small green glow squeaked in fear and accidently crashed into bush, the ring catching on a limb of the hedge. The little creature held onto it tightly and tried to retreat into the leaves, even as the red head approached the crash site. The human panted and knelt by the spot he saw it disappear. 

She - he was pretty curtain she was a girl now, up close and awake as he was - was in there, alright, clinging to the ring and turning wide eyes on him. He smirked, but the little whisp started to cry and hiccup miserably and Taiga’s face fell. “Hey, hey- don’t cry, I just want this back, okay?” He told her gently and tried to pick the ring up, but her arms were firmly folded around the chain, holding it tightly to her chest. Her cheeks were flushed a dark green from crying and she bounced on a branch with every hiccup. Taiga didn’t want to hurt her so he couldn’t just yank at the necklace and he let out a small, exasperated sigh, “Give it back, alright? It’s important to me, please.” He gave it a few small tugs and eventually just used it to lift her off the branch and out of the hedge. 

Once she was out she tried to fly away with it, but it was already in Taiga’s hand and he wasn’t letting go. “I can’t give this to you, sorry.” He said to her, causing her to huff and whimper in a fuss. “Can I give you something else instead?” He offered and pulled out a small silver coin, offering it to her. She slowed her pulling and hovered in place, looking at the coin in curiosity, but in the end she only huffed and turned her back to it. 

He gave his own huff, this one of frustration. “I don’t have time for this…!” Taiga put the chain around his neck with her still holding onto it and started walking back. She took the chance and tried to get it back, but he held it down with one hand, “You can’t have this. If you must, you can have something else I own, but this is a promise I have to keep.” 

The pixie wasn’t having it and started to bite his ear and neck. “Ow!” He exclaimed, visibly stopping himself from swatting at her as she flew around his head angrily. She tried a whole variety of different spells, but pixies only really knew sleep magic and they were too weak now that he was wide awake. He waved his hand through the air, “I told you I don’t have time for you, I have- NO TENT!!!” 

Taiga stood stalk still, eyes almost bulging as he looked around his campsite and saw nothing. He ran forward to get a better look because it was still dark and saw a trampling of tiny footprints, each one the length of his thumb. Either a herd of infants ran through and the wind that was kicked up snatched his stuff or some gnomes stole his supplies. With a frustrated groan he started to follow the tracks, the pixie tugging incessantly at his necklace. His patience was wearing thin and when she bit at his hand as a change in tactic, it broke. “CUT IT OUT!” He snapped at her loudly and she recoiled in fright, looking about ready to cry again. He lost his fierce look again at the sight of it and sighed. “If you help me get my stuff back, I’ll give you a ring, alright?” 

The pixie perked up with delight and started following the tracks, waving for him to follow and helping him in earnest. He found himself going deeper and deeper into the maze and it was morning before they found the gnomes, who were rifling through his stuff and using his supplies. He stomped up to them and growled for them to get lost, snatching his sword away from a distracted gnome and brandishing it at them in almost a shooing motion. The gnomes scattered at the sight of the weapon in his hands, one in particular snatching up a partially eaten roll as it went. Taiga sighed and started gathering his things back up, packing them properly and grabbing some food to eat. 

The apple he bit into was now a little bruised but he was too weary to care and the pixie flew up and took a few bites out of it herself, but she was so small that it really didn’t matter if she had her fill. He smiled and pulled out a small sack, this being one he had packed himself and pulled out a different ring. It was smaller and more delicate, with a small emerald embedded in it and he held it up to her, a thankful grin stretching his face and softening his eyes. “Here. I don’t really need this thing, it was just a gift from some people I helped a while back.” 

She took it into her tiny hands with glee and flew around in circles, vibrating with excitement before kissing his nose and flying off. Taiga was a bit put off, but shrugged and thought nothing more of it. She was a pixie and they tended to be very selfish, so her quick departure was almost expected. He decided to start walking again and hoped he wasn’t out of his way in the maze after going after his supplies. He was far too tired after that last adventure but he definitely couldn’t afford to sleep now. He only had two days left.

The next day and night continued without too much incident, but the last day met him with more frustration. “I have no idea where I am or how much more to this place is left! I can’t even climb the hedges, they either break or have some kind of spell on them,” he growled and sat down to rest for a few minutes. 

Then, he heard the semi familiar sound of a whisper and looked around, “Hey, are you that pixie?” He asked cautiously. The whispers got a little louder and he got back up, following after them. He felt like he walked for a long time, rounding corner after corner at an easy trot. When he slowed down, the whispers would only get quieter so he kept up as best as he could, trying to find the little pixie, not thinking about where he was going for once. A gust of wind, strong and unblocked by the hedges, rushed past his face and for the first time since entering the maze, he heard the murmur of human voices, low from distance but solid, not echoey and unintelligible like that of the pixie.

Taiga rushed forward, spurred on by the wind and the voices, feet light as they carried him to the end of this task and another step closer to his goals. Each frustration of the last few days bled away into the earth as his feet connected and he smiled. The sun was setting and he barely had any time left at all but he wasn’t worried. The exit stood like a beacon, the last rays of the sun pouring into the near constant shade of the maze and fresh wind ruffled his hair and filled his lungs, drawing out his happiness and relief as he burst out, beating the sunset by a fraction.

Riko, of course, was standing just outside the exit, looking startled but impressed. “Nice job,” She complimented, “Though you seemed to have a bit of help...”, She said, pointing to the soft green glow of the pixie just inside the maze. She smiled slyly. “I’ll let it slide, since I didn’t say anything about help from the inside.”

Taiga, still panting from running, plopped down to rest on the ground. He barely gave himself time to recover before lifting his head, eye fierce. “I’m ready for the final task.”

“I think you are too.“ Riko winked, crouching down to speak face to face, eyes just as firey. “Tomorrow, you will face the most daring task yet!”


End file.
